


Jousts and Queens and Distant Lands

by galeaspida



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-10-09 05:40:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20515916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galeaspida/pseuds/galeaspida
Summary: Cat Grant is a queen of a coastal kingdom, Kara and Alex show up unexpectedly at a joust to decide on a new Queen's champion. Slow-burn Kara/Cat, gentle and uncomplicated and romantic. Alternate Universe with our Supergirl friends. Part 1 of...3?





	Jousts and Queens and Distant Lands

**Author's Note:**

> It's late at night and I need to post this because it's sat in my folder for a good three years without changing and dear god, this was going to be a one-shot, but now it isn't, so prepare yourself for more gushy romantic slow-burn in successive chapters. Have I watched the last two seasons? I have not. Fear not, gentle readers!

Catherine, Queen of the Realm, the Reach, and the Western Ocean, known as 'Cat' to those closest to her, sat on a carved wooden throne in the royal pavilion, looking out across the wet field with a number of nobles and servants, her entire royal guard, and five hundred spectators.  
  
The chair was hard, the weather was miserable, and Cat’s patience was wearing thin.  
  
'Sir Garn of Meldrea and Rosen of Vel.’  
  
A pair of knights - the nineteenth of that morning - arrived in front of the royal box, water dripping off their armor. After their blunted lances had been raised in salute to the queen, they trotted back to opposite ends of the grounds to prepare for the first pass.  
  
The rain certainly hadn’t dampened the crowd’s mood, if anything, the number of people had swelled. Even some of the fisherman from the distant villages were in the crowd, heavy oilskin cloaks shielding them from the worst of the wet.  
  
What was evident to most of the attending crowd was there had been only one clear possible contender for the Realm Protector in the first place. Unfortunately, Sir Vaquez had broken her ankle when her horse had slipped on the wet grass and fallen on her rider while pulling up from the successful second tilt. And Cat knew that the knight had no wish to be the Realm Protector in the first place - it was only the court’s desperation to avoid a fourth disappointment.  
  
Cat was growing tired of continuous disappointments - she was not as young as she used to be, and jousting had never quite held the same excitement for her as it did for others.  
  
'Mother, is that Sir Jonn?  
  
Carter had edged to one side of his chair to speak softly to her, his dark curls falling across his forehead. Already thirteen, her son was still very shy, and while Cat did her very best to protect him from the discomfort of public gatherings, she knew that he needed to grow accustomed to being the center of attention in preparation for his own rule in the future.  
  
He didn't wait for a reply.  
  
'It is Sir Jonn,' he said eagerly. 'I can tell - I recognize his horse. It has the same white patch on the near hind fetlock.'  
  
Cat frowned - Carter's memory was impeccable - he could pull information about sights or sounds from when he was three with perfect accuracy. Although he had been much younger the last time he had seen Sir Jonn tilt, it had obviously left a profound effect on him. The prospect of seeing one of his heroes recreate the experience had removed all trace of shyness from him.  
  
The possibility of Sir Jonn's presence had the opposite effect on Carter's mother.  
  
'Steward Winn,' Catherine snapped at the closest of the men waiting in the wings, sending Winn hurrying over to her. 'Please tell me why my retired Realm Protector is in the lists waiting to compete.'  
  
Winn shook his head. 'Sir Jonn is not registered to the field as a contender, your Majesty. If he is here, then it is only as a spectator.'  
  
'Then I suggest that you find him and bring him to me now, so that I might understand why he did not make his presence known to me first after such a long absence from the castle and from his beloved queen.'  
  
Bowing briefly, Winn hurried out of the side of the open tent, jogging past the guards and into the crowd.  
  
'I do hope Sir Jonn is here to joust,' Carter said. 'I know that he left the court three years ago, but still, can you imagine?'  
  
Cat did not want to imagine. The reason that she was having to look for a new Realm Protector in the first place was because the three successive Realm Protectors after Jonn had left his post of two decades had all failed in the role. Two had gotten themselves killed in pointless duels - explicitly forbidden under the rules of her reign - and the most recent had left his post without notice after falling in love and disappearing off on some ill-advised quest to rescue a maiden trapped in a castle in the South.  
  
If Jonn wanted to be Realm Protector again, he could have saved Cat a heap of pointless trouble and simply told her.  
  
A cheer from the crowd showed that the knights were ready to begin. The horn sounded and the heavy horses moved from a trot into a canter, their riders couching the blunted lances in preparation for the impact.  
  
Both of them missed. The horses were pulled up from the rough, mud-scattering canter and brought about with excessive rein pulling.  
  
'I don't suppose you would like to be the Realm Protector, Carter?' she murmured under her breath so that only Carter could hear her words. 'You're a little young for the role, but it would save us all this fuss.'  
  
'No, I don't think I would like that, Mother,' Carter said in complete seriousness. 'I am going to build things. A new bridge across the river first, and then I will start on the castle.'  
  
The knights had managed to turn their mounts around and were charging again. This time they both succeeded in landing a hit - shattering the lance of the knight with the red chevron on a white field and causing the other, black with gold diamonds, to lose his shield.  
  
The knights dismounted gracelessly. Their squires rushed up to them with their chosen weapons and retreated with the horses at a jog. The two men stumbled towards each other like blinded boars, sword and flail raised to strike.  
  
It was over in twenty seconds. The knight with the red chevron was victorious, if only because he'd landed a lucky blow with his flail.  
  
'How many more do we have, Steward?' Cat asked, not deigning to look in the man’s direction.  
  
But Winn had not yet returned. Her chamberlain, James, spoke up instead.  
  
'There are two more pairs, your Majesty.'  
  
How disappointing. Another year of a Protector who had barely distinguished themselves from the rest of the competition. Perhaps Vasquez could be persuaded to accept the position, injury or no. She's heal in a month or so.  
  
The physician had taken the unconscious knight with gold diamonds off the field and into the nearby tent with the aid of two of the knight's squires and a wheelbarrow. The next two knights were ready to begin, entering the field and raising their lances to their Queen.  
  
A commotion in the crowd to the left of the box drew Cat's attention. Winn had returned, with Sir Jonn at his side. The tall man was not dressed in mail or armor, only a tunic and breeches, and carried no weapon at his side.  
  
'Sir Jonn. What a surprise.'  
  
The man bowed to her. 'My Queen.'  
  
'Am I, Sir Jonn?' she asked archly, eyebrows rising up.  
  
'Always, your Majesty.' Jonn had spent his entire life at court in some capacity or another - he had served Cat's father - and he was well versed in the occasional mercurial moods of his queen. 'I apologize for not coming to see you earlier - I was assisting with a lame horse.'  
  
Cat's eyebrows rose. 'A horse ranking above good manners to one's queen? Please, I must know more about this marvelous animal.'  
  
Jonn didn't flinch at her tone. Carter spoke up before he could fashion a suitable reply.  
  
'Sir Jonn - was that your horse I saw? The bay?'  
  
The man turned his attention to the more welcoming of the seated figures.  
  
'Yes, Prince Carter. He will be ridden by another knight - the owner of the mare that so occupied my afternoon. I offered him when it appeared that the mare would not be able to compete.'  
  
A commotion in the field drew all heads towards the knights. Both had been unhorsed in the first pass. Neither rose from the ground.  
  
'I fear that the quality of the field this year may be lacking, Sir Jonn,' Cat observed dryly. 'Perhaps it is the dampness of the grass that has led to such a distressing amount of injury?'  
  
Jonn's expression was grim. 'A life of playing with blunted sticks on good dry ground does not prepare one for inclement conditions, your Majesty. As peaceful as times have been in recent years, it has had a placating effect on your people, and consequently weakened your army.'  
  
'The position of Realm Protector is open to you, Sir Jonn, if you wish to acquaint the realm with quality.'  
  
Jonn laughed. 'I am an old man. I enjoy the quiet life now of tending my lands and helping my people grow food for the winter and building homes for new families. Let me have my peace.'  
  
‘You can hardly blame me for trying.’ Cat sighed. 'Let us bear one final match before we convene and decide on which unlucky soul will be the new Protector.'  
\---  
The splinters of wood from the shattered lances had been cleared from the run and the final pair of knights were riding to the center of the field to greet the royal box.  
  
It was easy to pick out Jonn's horse - a large bay horse with a cropped tail, the gelding barely fitting into a simple red and white caparison with gold stars. The knight already looked small in comparison to his opponent, even if the plain armor was sturdy, Cat began to appreciate just how much of a difference in their heights there must be. She recognized Sir Lane's blue and white crest well, and began to feel a trace of concern for this unknown youth.  
  
'Representing the House D'Anvers...'  
  
The rest of the words were lost as Jonn's bay squealed and hopped backwards, gigantic hooves slicing into the turf and throwing grass into the air. To his credit, the knight did not move one inch in the saddle.  
  
'The bastard always did get excited before a match,' Jonn muttered under his breath.  
  
The knights saluted - D'Anvers had quickly eased the bay back into contained docility - and trotted to their respective positions.  
  
'That knight is too small, Jonn.’ Cat’s clutching Jonn’s arm now, and hissing out the side of her mouth. ‘What were you thinking lending that monster out to him? I'm not in the mood to risk injury to any of my subjects for the sake of a sport and Lane isn't going to give that boy the slightest bit of mercy."  
  
The horn sounded before Jonn could reply. The bay gelding launched himself at frightening speed towards the center of the field, and D'Anvers showed no sign of holding the horse back, concentrating only on lowering the lance towards the other approaching knight. His form was perfect, weight centered, the tip of the lance barely wavering even with the surge of the charge.  
  
Seconds later, there was the solid crash of wood hitting metal as the knights' shields collided with each others' lances, throwing shards of splintering ash into the air. Both blows were true to the mark and the impact was so great that both knights were thrown backwards off their horses, landing heavily on the grass.  
  
Sir Lane rose first, pushing his heavy body up to kneeling and rocking to stand. His squire rushed out onto the field with a broadsword, which the knight clenched in two fists and pulled out of the sheath with one movement.  
  
Ten paces away, the smaller knight was struggling to rise from the mud.  
  
'Sir D'Anvers has broken his arm.' Carter had rushed to the railing and clutched at the wooden support, staring in concern at the fallen knight. 'He can't raise his shield.'  
  
'The pauldron is trapped under the edge of the cuirass.' There was a tinge of worry in Jonn's voice, an unsettling thing to hear in a knight of his age and experience. 'It will have bent in the fall.'  
  
'I yield.' D'Anvers' voice was rough but even higher as Cat had expected for a man of his age. 'I cannot fight.'  
  
Sir Lane ignored the call and swung at the younger knight’s helmet.  
  
'I YIELD!' D'Anvers shouted again, ducking backwards to narrowly avoid the blow, attempting to raise his shield but restricted by the broken armor so that the shield only protected the lower half of his torso. The crowd was muttering now.  
  
The broadsword was raised again, and brought down with terrible force at his head...  
  
...Only to collide with another sword with a clang that resounded throughout the field and the surrounding buildings.  
  
D'Anvers' squire had raised the two-handed weapon he'd brought for his knight and parried expertly so that the blow glanced off, throwing Lane to the side as the tip of his heavy sword hit the earth.  
  
The squire did not stop there. Fully on the offensive, he delivered a rain of blows aimed at Sir Lane, all hitting the man without mercy. The squire's form - as slim as he was - was excellent, and within moments, the knight was beaten back away from the fallen D'Anvers.  
  
Nothing like this had ever happened in Cat's memory. Obviously it was not a regularity as three men in the royal livery were running towards the duel. The crowd was already making noise and shuffling closer to the barricade.  
  
'Halt!' the Herald cried, 'In the name of the Queen!'  
  
The D'Anvers squire stopped as suddenly as he had appeared, backing away from knight, loosening his stance. Lane dropped his broadsword to the grass and fell to his knees with a clatter of metal.  
  
'Sir Jonn, could you please explain what in God’s name is going on?' Cat growled, clutching tightly at his sleeve. At some point in the last minute, she had rose out of her throne to stand. Her free hand went to correct the gold circlet that had tilted askew on her head.  
  
'I cannot, your Majesty,' Jonn said slowly. 'I do not know why Sir Lane did not honor the yield.'  
  
'Bring all three of them to me now,' Cat ordered, already marching towards the steps off the platform, her skirts held up from the wet grass in one fist. 'I wish clarification. Immediately.'  
  
Sir Lane was panting heavily when the Herald brought the two knights and the squire forward. Neither Sir D'Anvers or his squire were breathing as hard. The fall had damaged D'Anvers's helmet in addition to the shoulder paldron, so he was only able to open the metal visor rather than remove the helm.  
  
'Please explain to me, Sir Lane,’ Cat hissed at the man, ‘why the yield that I was able to hear twice from my position twenty yards away in the viewing box was supposedly not heard or honored by the knight standing mere feet from the caller?!'  
  
'My apologies, my Queen.' Lane said, bowing towards Cat. He was sweating and his face was red. 'It was the heat of the moment - I lost my head.'  
  
'You are dismissed, Sir Lane.' Cat said coldly. 'Go to the chapel and contemplate the meaning of honourable combat until morning. I do not wish to see you in court for the rest of the season.'  
  
Lane left the field towards the rows of tents, followed by the Herald and two of the soldiers. Ignoring his departure, Cat turned to the other two figures of interest.  
  
'Sir D'Anvers. I am disappointed in the unchivalrous behavior of Sir Lane. I hope that you are not too injured by his actions.'  
  
'No, your Majesty. It is merely my armor that has been damaged.'  
  
What little of the knight's face that showed was pale, and Cat suspected the armor was not the only thing that had been broken by the initial blow, but there would be nothing gained by arguing the point.  
  
'I am glad to hear it. Please, come to the feast tonight and dine with us at my table - Prince Carter is particularly eager to speak with you - he was impressed by your ability to land an accurate blow from such a wild horse.'  
  
'It would be my pleasure to speak with your son, your Majesty. Thank you.'  
  
The tall squire of Sir D'Anvers shifted weight to one leg and Cat's gaze was drawn to the figure. Lean, with broad shoulders and a slim waist, the young man was studiously avoiding her eye by looking at the grass, his wool cap hiding his expression. The squire's body language all but declared his need to attend to his knight's injury and Cat suspected that it was only her royal presence that was stopping him.  
  
'Your squire has distinguished himself today, with more skill than any other I have seen on the field today,' Cat announced. 'He does you credit with his loyalty. Please bring him with you tonight.'  
  
Pausing long enough to acknowledge the half-bows, she turned around to move back towards the main tent. Cat allowed herself some distance to be out of earshot before hissing at Jonn, who had fallen into step beside her.  
  
'Jonn, you owe me an hour of explanations. We will start with how you'd possibly ever believe that I'd be fooled by such a sorry attempt to pass two women off as young men?'  
  
Jonn hesitated.  
  
'And for the love of God,' Cat continued "Allow them to wear proper clothes tonight if they wish to wear dresses - I have no ingrained prejudice about women who wish to enter the field but you’ve no grasp of fit of clothing.’  
\----

The evening feast was in full force when the arrival of D'Anvers to the hall was announced by the herald.  
  
Out of plate mail, Lady Alexandra D'Anvers turned out to be a stunningly attractive woman with short-cropped dark hair and a lovely face. She had opted to wear a belted tunic with silk embroidery and breeches of a fine wool rather than a dress. The D'Anvers crest pinned to the breast of her tunic was unknown to Cat, but hearing the family name had triggered a distant memory and she made a mental note to ask Jonn about the family at a later time.  
  
The woman bowed - stiffly - before the table. It was obvious that the fall damaged more than her armor - her left arm was in a linen sling, held at her side with another bandage to minimize horizontal movement.  
  
'Your Majesty, may I also introduce my sister, Lady Kara D'Anvers.'  
  
Cat would not have thought the two women to be related if she had not been told. Kara was taller, with long hair the color of honey and a sturdier build than her sister - her shoulders broader, her features a touch softer. She curtseyed expertly, ducking her head in deference to the queen.  
  
“Your Majesty.”  
  
There had been a brief flash of pale blue eyes as she glanced up at Cat, but the flicker was only for a moment and she did not meet Cat's gaze again.  
  
'You are both welcome. My Chamberlain will escort you to your places,' Cat smiled as she glanced at her son, who was studiously avoiding looking at the newcomers to the court but clearly wanted to overcome his shyness so as to speak to his newly-discovered hero. 'Prepare yourself, Sir D'Anvers, Prince Carter will barrage you with questions about Sir Jonn’s horse.'  
  
‘It would be my pleasure to answer all of them, your Majesty.’  
\----  
Supper was finished, and the hundreds of guests mingled and laughed and danced to the music played by the lute and whistle players.  
  
‘Mother? I’m going to return to my rooms now if you don’t mind.’  
  
Carter had eaten all of the food on his plate after sorting it out into similar colors and peppered his new favourite person with questions about riding and horses and knights. Alex had answered all of his questions patiently and with good humor, and Cat was thankful that Carter had found another person he felt he could trust, for they were few and far between.  
  
‘Of course, love,’ Cat murmured, kissing him on the cheek. ‘I shall see you in the morning.’  
  
Near the closest fireplace, Sir Lane's younger daughter, Lucy, was staring at Alex with an intense expression that Cat couldn't quite decipher. As she watched out of the corner of her eye, Lucy tilted her goblet to finish the contents, set it down on the table, and made a beeline towards the newcomer, intercepting her before Alex could walk out of the hall.  
Well, that explained why Lucy Lane had refused Cat’s handsome chamberlain’s attention for the last two years.  
  
Hiding a smirk from the rest of the hall, Cat made her way towards the West castle walls, where the outdoor walkway overlooked the shore.  
\----  
It turned out she was not alone.  
  
Kara d'Anvers was standing at the wall, leaning her weight against the dark stones, staring out across the ocean. Her blue dress fluttered in the land breeze that blew across the battle-mounts. The sea was crowned with grey clouds. A storm on the horizon, though to Cat’s experienced eye, she knew it would not hit land.  
  
‘Your Majesty,’ she bowed her head, ‘I apologize, I didn't mean to intrude. I was only here to watch the sun set.’  
  
Cat waved her hand dismissively. ‘It is a public place. You are welcome.’  
  
After a slight smile, Kara turned back to look out over the grey sea. Gulls were circling near one of the docks - another small boat had returned from a day out fishing.  
  
'It’s beautiful up here. Lady Alex and I grew up in the mountains - not nearly as open as your lands. You can see for miles up and down the coast, I feel as if I could stand up here for a lifetime and still find something new to look at.’  
  
Picking up her skirts again, Cat moved up to stand beside her, resting against the cool stone. Kara's taller than her by at least a handspan in height, but for all her fierceness with a sword, Cat senses no danger from the young woman. Indeed, her presence is a calming one.  
  
'The boats with the white sails. Are those your ships?'  
  
'Indirectly - the ships belong to the town and coastal villagers. Our kingdom is dependent on the sea - the fisherman go out before first light to reach the shoals and return when the nets have been filled. Much of it is dried and sent to other towns inland.'  
  
‘Is there anything beyond the horizon?'  
  
'Perhaps.’ Cat smiles, a memory of a similar youthful question to her own father flickering in her mind. ‘No one has ever returned from the attempt to find where the ocean ends and land begins again, and nothing has ever come from the other side. For all we know it could stretch out forever.'  
  
They fall into silence, broken only by the sound of the breeze and the faint calls of seabirds.  
  
Cat eventually speaks.  
  
'You intrigue me, Lady Kara. You faced an armored knight twice your size who had no compunctions from striking a defenseless opponent. And with nothing more than simple clothes and a sword. Where does your bravery come from, I wonder?'  
  
'I love my sister, your Majesty. I would sooner end my life than fail to defend hers.'  
  
'Oh, I do not question it. But I suspect you would have done the same thing even if you had not loved the person you were defending.'  
  
Kara does not answer this.  
  
'I believe that Sir Jonn has been hosting you during your time in the West,' Cat said gently, changing track.  
  
'He has. He knew our father - they were friends, even though we were not from your land.'  
  
'I did intend to ask him about the connection. Your father was a lord?  
  
'Yes,' Kara hesitated for a brief moment. 'Rather, Alexandra's father. I became a ward of Lord D'Anvers when my parents were lost to the illness that spread from the East ten years ago. I was with his family for only a year before he also passed in the Southern Wars.'  
  
'You have lost so much at such a young age,' she murmured, reaching out to lay her fingers against Kara's hand.  
  
Kara's head snapped up and she turned abruptly to face her, surprised by the touch. Cat's breath caught when she met her gaze.  
  
Kara's eyes were blue. The familiarity of the color made Cat's heart stutter. It was the same blue that Cat could see in the clear waters of the sea in the morning light. Or the wings of the small butterflies that came in on the warm summer winds to visit the gardens.  
  
'Which is why I feel compelled to protect what remains, your Majesty.'  
  
And it was those words that gave Catherine, Queen of the Realm, the Reach and the Western Ocean, a brilliant idea.  
\---  
Jonn looked back at her without expression when she shared her plans with him later than evening. The feast had continued on her her absence, and the wine was still flowing freely.  
  
His reaction made several stray pieces in her mind click together.  
  
'You planned this!' she hissed, pointing an accusing finger at the man’s broad chest.  
  
This came out more shrill than intended, but Cat did not appreciate being manipulated, even if it was by old friends.  
  
'I might have arranged to have Alex fight Sir Lane at the end of the day knowing that the man’s temper would be in full force at the indignity of going last in the grouping and that he would lash out, giving his opponent the opportunity to demonstrate their mettle.' He hesitated. 'Also I may have always desired to see Sir Lane be unseated from his horse by a knight half of his weight - Alexandra may be one of the better jousters I've ever had the pleasure to see. I did not foresee the necessity of Kara intervening to stop Lane, however, and I do not relish the thought that she so narrowly escaped a severe injury.'  
  
'Did they know?'  
  
'Alexandra and Kara? No. It would not have been honorable and they would certainly not have agreed to it.'  
  
'Sir Jonn, you do yourself a disservice -' she said reproachfully,'- I know you to be an honorable man.'  
  
'I needed you to see them in their best light. It appeared to be the best way. And while I may be an honorable man, I am also an old one - allow me my bit of cunning, my Queen.'  
  
Cat couldn't help but laugh at this. Her expression turned solemn moments later, and she rested her hands on the stone railing and looked out over the ocean.  
  
'Kara fascinates me,' she said, her eyes turning towards the sea. 'Who were her parents?'  
  
Jonn smiled. 'A small but ancient family - her mother Lady Alura was from a noble line stretching back as far as any other in this land, save perhaps yours. Kara is her natural heir. Her lands were lost in the upheaval after the Sickness - I do not know that any of her people still live.'  
  
'A lonely life.'  
  
The man glanced at her.  
  
'I do not think Kara would describe her life as lonely, Cat. She has known loss, possibly to more of an extent than any other I have known, but she loves most of those she meets, and she has one of the most honest hearts I've ever encountered.'  
  
Cat did not answer this. Her thumb was worrying against the smooth back of her necklace, a gift from her father when she came of age. It was one of the clear agates from the pebble beaches below the castle, bound in silver wire, and her hand strayed to it when she was fussing.  
  
'If I were to offer Alexandra the position of Realm Protector, would it be with your blessing?  
  
'Of course. She is a natural leader.'  
  
'And Kara...' her voice trailed off.  
  
Jonn raised his eyebrows, awaiting her next words.  
  
'There’s something about her.’ Cat smiles, realizing the solution is simple. ‘I suspect she would appreciate being kept close to Alex...'


End file.
